Miracle In Haiti: Rescued After 30 Days!!!

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As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I have pretty much said nil in regards to the earthquake in Haiti (or any other natural disaster that has occurred in the recent past). There are several reasons for this, number one is because quite frankly I don’t bother with the news and as a result wouldn’t be the most well informed person to speak about it. A close second is because everyone and their mom has covered the quake from EVERY possible angle imaginable, so what would the point be of me simply reiterating what everyone else has said a billion times before in the past month.

However, when I stumbled across this particular article in the MSN daily news (if you never noticed, 95% of the news stories I cover come from the MSN news…its about the only direct source of current issue coverage I ever bother with…and even then pretty irregularly) I felt compelled to share it. Not only because I think it’s absolutely incredible that this miracle happened, but because I think it highlights a pretty big issue of “when’s a good time to throw in the towel?”. Well, before I go on, check it out.

By CBC News, cbc.ca, Updated: February 9, 2010 10:15 AM

Haiti man pulled from rubble
A 28-year-old man was pulled from rubble in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Monday, claiming to have been trapped there since the massive earthquake on Jan. 12, according to media reports.

Villagers were rummaging through the ruins of a marketplace when they found the man buried underneath.

He appeared dehydrated, malnourished and disoriented, and was taken for treatment at a University of Miami field hospital near the airport.

“He was emaciated,” Dr. Mike Connelly, of the university’s Project Medishare, told CNN. “He hadn’t had anything in quite some time. He had open wounds that were festering on both of his feet.”

Connelly could not explain to CNN how the man had managed to survive without food or water for so long.

The man’s family told BBC News that somebody had brought him water to drink during his 27-day ordeal, but doctors believe he may have been hallucinating.

Haiti’s government halted search-and-rescue efforts on Jan. 23, 11 days after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake, which killed an estimated 200,000 people.

Amazing right? What an inspiration to know that this man who by all laws of nature and biology that we know of should have been long dead was able to overcome starvation and dehydration to be rescued! This reminds me of those stories where mother’s lift 20 ton trucks off of their kids. We as humans consistently limit ourselves when clearly, when we use nothing other than our will and our soul we are able to achieve the impossible. Seriously, I am actually inspired. Never again will I tell myself something is impossible because “the rules” say it is. And never again will I automatically lay boundaries on what I can achieve simply because it’s difficult/painful/wrenching/etc. and nobody else has been able to succeed at said thing.

But as I said, this also highlighted the question of: when is it OK to throw in the towel when it comes to life and death situations? I mean, at this point I wonder how many people who were hanging on desperately but who just were not as strong or blessed or whatever that this dude was and gave in right before being found? Although it’s unlikely, how many people lasted just as long, but because the rescue effort was abandoned weeks ago they were never given their chance at salvation? The problem is, since it is what it is and the rescue effort WAS abandoned (prematurely, in most people’s opinions) there is no real way of knowing. And Lord knows, we don’t want the situation to EVER recur so we can test the theory.

But, theoretically, would it have been reasonable for them to continue the rescue effort for 30 days? Well, if one guy last 30 days (which is pretty much a medical impossibility) why not 40? Or 50? I mean, realistically, what is the cut off? While I think everyone can agree that 11 days was CLEARLY waaaayyy too early, and before miracle dude most people would have agreed that 30 days could be erring on the side of overdoing it a bit, when would we have thought would be a reasonable time, I wonder. Of course, families who have missing family in Haiti would think 10 years wouldn’t be too much, which is understandable. But for those who are further removed, and therefore more objective, what would we think?

I guess I’m feeling all analytical and reflective not just because of miracle dude’s story, but rather because I am wondering what kind of fight, what kind of spirit I would have if I was in the exact same position (knock on wood). How long could I hold on, knowing the chance of rescue was slim to none. We hear stories of people all the time who beat the odds in a similar way, and all of them managed to find some inner strength that told them that they just WERE NOT going to die that day, in that way…and that was that. But maybe subconsciously those people all had some hope, some inherent faith that their loved ones would never give up looking for them, which gave them the will to keep living regardless of the obstacles.

I guess nobody ever knows how they will react in a life or death situation, and nobody truly will know what runs through their mind until they are in that situation and it happens. Realistically, all I can do is hope that I absolutely NEVER get into such a predicament, that if I do get into that kind of predicament that I have the balls to be strong and will myself to live regardless of how difficult, and that they don’t give up the search until my strong willed ass has been rescued.

Of course, being a Christian, I invariably analyze everything putting a faith/God/destiny twist on it. So maybe dude was in with the All Mighty One, and as a result he could have lived another 50 days, no sweat. Maybe it was his faith in God that kept his soul alive, perhaps even as his body began to die…and maybe as long as your soul is alive your body can never truly die, no matter what happens to it. Or perhaps it just wasn’t his time yet, so even if he had gotten shot point blank in the face he would have lived (amazingly, some people do).

So I guess I add to my thoughts that I hope that I never EVER am in a life or death situation (cause I’m a pansy like that…I prefer creature comforts…I don’t like being a little parched or a wee bit chilly..lol) , but if I ever was (knock on wood once again) I add to my original thoughts that I want the Big Man in Charge and me to be in like flynn (don’t know what that means exactly, but my Mom used to say it alot…not even sure if I’m using the saying properly, but I’m sure you catch my drift :-p), for destiny to have written me alive til I’m 300, or that my faith (for all I don’t practice my religion AT ALL I most definitely have FAITH in it…as ridiculous as that sounds) will be so full and all encompassing that between me, God, and my everlasting Soul I keep on breathing til I’m found.

And that is all. Wow, I have so many other things to say on this subject. I was most definitely inspired by this article. I hope that likewise you were as well.

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Published by Classic Ruby

Thoughtful, honest, and open-minded. Willing to “go there” just so I can have the experience…and I have no problem sharing those experiences with you. Some may call me a bitch– the fact is, I can sometimes be what others term as “too honest for my own good”. If my unwillingness to sugarcoat the truth, if your ability to take my word at what it is without having to add a grain of salt, makes me a bitch, I say more power to me. This corrupted, lying, guile-filled society could use a bit more of my brand of “bitchiness”.
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6 Comments

I’m surprised, but not extra-surprised. Our people are strong! BTW “don’t bother with the news.” What!!! Here you are: bbc.com, cnn.com/world. I would suggest more, but my other sites are US centered and I don’t want to aggravate you with my typical American arrogance:)Oh yeah…your Facebook look alike is Rosario Dawson.

What an inspirational story! Thank you for sharing it. Interesting that you don’t do the news but you always have these random tidbits from the news and current events. As a responsible young woman, you should be aware of whats is going on in this world, as it all affects you even if only indirectly

They’ve &$@$&* up the whole Haiti recovery situation from the very beginning. So many mistakes, so many potential lifes lost because they are too focused on dumping bodies and rubble into mass graves. The worst part is that its not really entirely their fault, they just arent equiped for this kind of large scale tragedy recovery.

Thank God one had the luck to make it this long AND to be be found.
~D

@ Dewan…it’s not because I can’t find the News, I could probably list 10 as well. I just don’t care for it. I don’t care for hearing a skewed report and skewed biased reporting (because each newspaper has a political skew…I also don’t care for politics )…if I hear about something and it catches my interest then I can look it up myself, do my own research, come to my own conclusions.

I don’t believe in passively letting information you don’t believe in or support pass through your brain and into your subconscious, because even though we THINK we forget it, it sticks with us and influences our thoughts, feelings, desires, and decisions going forward…true story. For that reason, I also don’t watch music videos..negative subliminal messages are a bitch, primarily because how do you fight something you are entirely unaware of and whose source you can’t even pinpoint?? Think about it… 😉

@ Lina Lee…thank you. And I will refer you to the above comment, only point out that I get my tidbits from MSN news headlines. But when I post articles I do my very best to find ones that do not present any kind of bias (the kind of news that I LOVE lol) and I determine that by first googling the shit outta the topic. (if it presents a bias, I allow that intentionally, primarily to either support my thoughts exactly, or to entirely refute what I see is the common sense answer..makes for a better debate lol!!)

@ ~D…I don’t disagree with you. I just feel super sad for that country right now, as they REALLY didn’t need the extra shit dumped on them at this point. The saddest part is that all the lives that were spared still have this shitbucket full of garbage to wade through to try and put their lives and their country together. God Bless Haiti man, give them the strength!